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Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 11 May 2005

Vol. 180 No. 10

Road Network.

I am raising the issue of the route of the proposed Waterford city bypass. I believe the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, made a statement today on the Viking site at Woodstown, County Waterford, directing the National Roads Authority to examine an alternative route. The people of Waterford are concerned about the time taken to commence work on the bypass and second river crossing as we have been waiting for the past 30 years. For a time, there has been nothing but report after report on the matter and then the Viking site was discovered, which the Minister has rightly decided must be preserved. However, it leaves the choice of the bypass route open.

Will the Minister expedite the matter and ensure the NRA adopts one of the proposed routes at the earliest possible opportunity? The economy of Waterford and the south east is dependent on this bypass. I hope the Minister will use his good offices to ensure a start on the bypass by the end of 2005. Commencement on the project has been promised for the past three years but we have not seen it yet. Patience has been tried to the limit.

I thank Senator Cummins for raising this issue. This is one of those happy occasions when a Minister can tell the House a problem has been solved. However, I must wait for tomorrow's newspaper headlines to see how well I have solved it.

Earlier today I issued directions to Waterford City Council requiring the protection of the Viking and early medieval site at Woodstown, County Waterford, on the route of the proposed Waterford city bypass. The directions were issued under the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004. The bypass was approved by An Bord Pleanála in October 2002 but before work could commence archaeological excavations had to take place.

The remarkable archaeological site at Woodstown is up river from Waterford city and on the County Waterford side of the River Suir. The site was discovered in April 2003 during the course of routine archaeological investigations in advance of the construction of the N25-Waterford bypass being carried out on behalf of Waterford City Council under the auspices of the National Roads Authority. A report on the outcome of these archaeological investigations, which identified this previously unknown site, was submitted to my Department and is available on the NRA website. The discovery was unexpected and had not been dealt with in the environmental impact statement or the approval of the road project by An Bord Pleanála.

My Department subsequently issued directions under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004 requiring further studies to be carried out by the road developers to establish the archaeological potential of a marsh area at the western end of the site. Relevant reports on this were duly submitted. The Department's underwater archaeological unit also carried out geophysical surveys in the river adjacent to the site. These investigations indicated that the site is of national importance because of its archaeological and historical significance, being a multiperiod site with extensive Viking occupation and a national monument within the meaning of the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004.

Earlier this year, I visited the site and indicated that I was minded, subject to statutory procedures, to require the preservation of the site pending the development of a long-term strategy for its future preservation, either in situ or by record, and archaeological investigation. I was impressed by the professionalism of the archaeologists involved. It is an exciting find and I hope the extraordinary artefacts discovered will be kept on permanent display in Waterford, where I believe they rightly belong.

In the meantime, following the study, I consulted the director of the National Museum, as I am statutorily obliged to do before the issuing of directives, under the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 2004. The director has indicated that he agrees with the proposed approach, and I have now issued the directions to Waterford City Council requiring the site's protection. This frees the council and the NRA from the ambiguities which have existed to date. I propose shortly to establish a working group led by my Department to advise on the long-term strategy to deal with the preservation, archaeological investigation and appropriate management of this very important site. Sadly, as the Senator will be aware, the site itself was bisected by railway works in the 19th century and we do not know what was lost. We know that what is there is worth examining and hopefully worth bringing to public attention.

The working group will also include representatives of, inter alia, the National Museum and the local authorities. The National Roads Authority has indicated it favours a modification to the alignment of the proposed Waterford city bypass route which would avoid the site, and this is now its preferred option. Deputy Cullen, the Minister for Transport and a local man, will, I think, be speedy in supporting the NRA in its proposals.

Following the issue of my directions, it is now a matter for the NRA to submit its proposals for a realignment of a portion of the road to avoid the site being referred to An Bord Pleanála for determination. The Act provides that this can be done, which is much more flexible than going through the entire process again. The board will make a determination solely with regard to any proposed route change since under the 2004 Act the approval for the rest of the road stands. From the point of view of Senator Cummins and the people of Waterford, that is very important.

I trust this clarifies the up-to-date position for the Senator on the day on which, as I have said, directions have been issued in this matter. I believe that having cleared up the ambiguities and the other issues, and having made clear what should happen, we will now see some speedy progress in the area. I know the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, is the most anxious of the people in that illustrious part of the country to see progress being made.

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